23 Jan NEW YEAR, NEW LAW-RELATED RESOLUTIONS

Posted at 11:20h in Kingston Coventry LLC Blog by

JANUARY 2023 NEW YEAR, NEW LAW-RELATED RESOLUTIONS

Happy New Year from your friendly neighborhood attorneys at Kingston Coventry LLC!  For those of you who are new to our “Legal Corner,” let us introduce ourselves.  We are small-business owners of a service-disabled veteran-owned law firm right here in your backyard.  We are partners in both law and life, having met twenty plus years ago in the wake of 9/11 when both of us were serving as federal prosecutors.  We have handled thousands of cases involving criminal, civil, employment, internal investigations, compliance and business matters.  Perhaps most importantly, we also are parents of three school-aged children.  We write this monthly column with this goal in mind: what would we want to read about if we had a few extra minutes?  How can we contribute to the community discussions and assist you in your interactions with your family/friends/neighbors/children/school officials/business colleagues/boss/supervisees, etc.  So without further ado, with the new year upon us, we humbly offer you our top Law-Related Resolutions for 2023!

  1. Have you updated your estate planning documents?  Is your will up to date, with updated and clearly articulated beneficiaries?  Do you have current provisions for custody of children should tragedy strike?  Do you have the important legal documents in place (i.e., durable power of attorney and end-of-life planning documents) for your elderly parents or loved ones?  If not, now is a good time to check “estate planning” off your list.  This may seem like a depressing place to start, but there’s no time like the present, right?
  2. Are you doing all you can to protect yourself against identity theft? We wrote a more detailed article about identity theft and fraud in 2022 (so dust off your old magazines and re-read our tips!) but you can start 2023 by making yourself and your family a “hard target” by updating passwords, educating yourself about common frauds and scams, and availing yourself of the protections offered by credit reporting services Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
  3. Did you leave your keys in your car — again?  This seems like a pretty basic tip but across the country there has been an uptick in both car thefts and thefts of valuables from cars where the owners have left their vehicles unlocked, sometimes leaving their keys in the car.  These car theft rings have become increasingly prevalent and bold in the last several years, infiltrating wealthy communities in broad daylight.  Let us play Captain Obvious for a moment and remind you of this easy fix: take your keys and lock your cars.
  4. Are you regularly monitoring your children’s social media accounts?  Children are easy prey to online predators and scam artists, and even the smartest among them tend to exhibit poor judgment when they post videos or missives on media platforms like Snapchat and TikTok.  These social media platforms are often scrutinized by prospective colleges and employers, so it is best to take a proactive approach and ensure monitoring controls are in place well ahead of time.
  5. Are you exercising sound judgment with your own social media accounts? While you certainly possess a First Amendment right to speak your mind, your online persona is a direct reflection of your judgment.  Many individuals find themselves in hot water when their employer stumbles across these ill-advised posts.  If you just can’t help yourself, make sure your privacy settings are such that only your closest friends will see your inane videos.

We hope that 2023 brings you good health, happiness and sound judgment!  But if not, you can always call us.

 

DISCLAIMER: The information on this page is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice or acted on as such. The content on this page may not reflect current legal developments or address your situation. It does not create an attorney-client relationship or provide guarantees or endorsement of behavior and is not a substitute for obtaining legal advice from an attorney on a particular legal matter.